Wednesday Chain Gang: First Spring Ride?

Iain on only his second chain-gang of the season

 A warm Wednesday evening encouraged 20 riders to test their mettle on the chain gang. There was another good turn out, but we thought there might be more, given it was such a pleasant evening (relatively speaking - this aint Mallorca). Dry roads, light winds and a temperature of seven degrees or so; lovely! Amongst those present were George Welfare, making a guest appearance for Rovers, and Simon 'Champ' Grogan, the fastest oldie in Sussex (it's official after his speedy ride at Sunday's ESCA Hardriders' TT).

With at least ten riders in the first group out, there were twice the number of ultras this week than last. A brisk but slightly relaxed pace was set by Barney 'yellow leader' Willard and Stuart 'Awesome' Hodd whilst they had a good chinwag. I sat in behind them alongside Michael Maxwell, the ultras riding tight to each other's wheels, efficiently cutting the night air. The following group were just off the back, with a few making it across later in the outward leg.

Yet again, the late rotation saw me make the front just as we reached the Cooden Beach hotel. I've no idea if I go too fast or slow around the right hand bend. It felt a bit slow to me, so I took the left hander into Herbrand Walk as wide as I could and pushed on up the slight slope by the station. The pace picked up as the group went past me, but I felt strong and the speed was exhilarating. We rode well as a unit, swapping smoothly off the front and each time injecting a little more energy.

The newly retired Andy C is riding much faster

I was mid-group as we swept into the marsh lanes, the tight turns and gaping potholes to my left adding a surge of adrenaline as I concentrated hard on the road ahead and avoided pitching into wheel and body-breaking pits in the gutter. I rode the Giant TCR (aluminium SL frame) last night in summer trim, with new cables and fresh wheels, and I certainly felt the benefit of the lighter bike, compared to the cannonball.

I made the front of the group as we turned over the first and smaller red-brick bridge, heading fast along the straight to the Star Inn, where first Barney and then Stewart B bounced past me, with George close behind. A car was coming towards us as we banked right, but we managed the risk well with clear, sharp shouts and good bike handling, avoiding the potholes to the left as we accelerated away from the Inn.

Next comes Normans Bay and then Spooky Hill. For once I was not on the front and I had no intention of being there either! Half-way up, the pace felt very manageable, but this was deceptive. On the front, someone pressed the button marked 'afterburners' and a group of five torched the road, pulling away with a whiff of burning rubber. As the dust settled, the next two riders over the summit were Stuart H and me, working hard to reach them, but they had stolen a march on us, staying in sight but tantalisingly out of reach. I took the front on the way down the hill before Stuart swapped on and shouted 'stay on Neil', upping his cadence and getting low over the bars. I dug in and hung on, trying hard to take a turn, but I had to wait for half a kilometre before he slowed just enough to make this possible.

On we rode, my breathing ragged and at the limit. I started to wish for the layby to come into view, but there were more left and right hand bends to bank through, and the last straight to pelt down before I could rest. We arrived moments after the front group as they circled the roundabout and eased into the marsh lane again. Stuart and I rode round, watching in some confusion as Barney disappeared into the garage.

'Why has he gone in there?' asked the others as we waited.

'More petrol, I think' I said, and in a way I was right - he needed to refuel with a mars bar, declaring it 'the food of champions'. I'm not so sure, but I guess it's just the thing when you need a fast shot of energy.

Calvin proves just how light his new cube is

As we waited, Lord Buckland passed some snobby, toffee-nosed comments about my new red cable outers, which in his opinion were garish and out of keeping with the bike's colour scheme. He muttered about this being a 'style crime' of some sort, and this from the man that rides a souped-up Raleigh Grifter. Really, I ask you! Michael's opinion is that outers should be 'black, or nothing'. I get the black, but not the nothing - transparent? I think silver, white and red is a classy combination, especially when offset with black bar tape, saddle and bars.

Not before time, given the rising tension over bike colour schemes, we counted in the last rider and watched Steve Curtis roll out to start the return leg. I found myself riding after him and for a while I struggled to catch up, my legs not yet recovered from the maximum effort on the way out. The pace soon picked up and I rode in a mixed group that yo-yo'd back and forth as small breaks came off the front and were then hauled in again. Eventually, we settled into a fast and not quite as fast group, with 'Champ' Grogan, Lord 'Style Council' Buckland, Selmo and the 'not-seen-for-a-while' Ruth (amongst others) working well together, without really finding a pace we were all comfortable with. So, it was a slower ride back, but I was happy enough, given the earlier efforts.

My second chain gang lap was far more pleasant than more recent rides, mostly because it was comfortably warm rather than a frozen ordeal. It was just good to be out riding, without the grim trial of trying and failing to generate enough heat to enjoy the trip. On the way across the marshes, I became aware of a bright light that was slowly gaining on me. Well, I couldn't let them reach me, so I put in more effort and maintained a gap. Stopping at the roundabout, Ruth pulled into view, having tried hard to catch me. I suddenly felt bad for not slowing and working with her, to our mutual benefit. Ruth gave me the lowdown on cycling in Lanzarote (impossible to say without using a bad Geordie accent), with tales of horrendous headwinds and steep hills. I think that this year more people than ever have gone to Mallorca or some other island for a mid-winter training session.

Riding back, I decided to do another 10km or so as the overall fast pace meant I had time in hand, and anyway I was having fun. I rode the Giant for the first time this year at the ESCA Hardriders, having sorted out the cables easily enough, and as I've said I appreciated the lighter weight compared to my bad-weather bike. I really like the riding position on the cannonball, so I have tried to replicate this on the Giant, tape measure and allen keys in hand, moving this and that back and forth to match the position. Oddly, the cannonball has slightly racier tube angles than the Giant, and the saddle is a good centimetre higher.

I tried hard to raise the saddle on the Giant to the same height, but failed as the carbon seat post is firmly stuck in the aluminium frame. 'The Internet' (that well-known font of all knowledge) advises against using penetrating oils as this might make the carbon swell. The only option will be to heat the seat tube and hope it expands enough to break the bond between the two materials. Trevor suggested a small blowtorch, but I'm not sure about that. I'll try boiling water and some brute force. The seat post is an aero shape, so I can't twist it. I have to hope it will release and slide out... A range of innuendos pop into my mind at this point, but I'll leave them unsaid.

The Giant might be lighter, but the bottom bracket area is not as stiff as the Cannondale's and the straight forks make for a choppier ride with more vibration. The caadx has curved, deep section fork legs that you can see work up and down to damp the rough road surface. The back end of bike and smaller diameter seat post are also better at smoothing the road, without losing power, I think. But its clearly a heavier bike - great for training and for bad-weather, but not fast enough for TTs or riding with the ultras...

Safe riding, Neil